Plan Description
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Construction at UNLV offers a number of program degree options leading to the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) - Civil and Environmental Engineering. Specific areas of engineering that are currently available include Construction, Environmental, Geotechnical, Structural, Transportation, and Water Resources.
For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes please visit the Degree Directory.
Plan Admission Requirements
Application deadlines
Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate College, an applicant for the M.S.E. program must:
- Have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related discipline. Applicants desiring to specialize in environmental engineering who have baccalaureate degrees in the natural sciences may require at least an additional semester of full-time study to complete engineering prerequisite undergraduate course work; this may include fluid mechanics, calculus through differential equations, engineering physics, chemistry and engineering economics. Successful environmental engineering applicants are expected to complete a set of graduate courses in engineering hydrology, hydraulics, statistics, water and wastewater treatment, and wastewater treatment plant design during their graduate study.
- Submit a one-page Statement of Objectives indicating the area of civil engineering in which they wish to pursue graduate work and the reason they wish to earn a master’s degree.
- All applicants are required to take the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing portions of the GRE General Test and submit the scores to the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. Successful applicants generally have a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of at least 300 on the new test (1000 on all GRE exams taken before August 2011) and GRE analytical writing score of at least 3.
- All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.
The Integrated BS-MS Program
This program is designed to provide high-achieving CEE undergraduate students with the opportunity to be exposed to graduate courses and encourage them to continue with a graduate degree by reducing the time needed for degree completion. Up to six credit hours of approved graduate-level course work can be taken as technical electives for the grade of B or better during the senior year and those credit hours will be waived for the graduate degree. The following conditions are needed to enroll in this program:
- A minimum of two semesters of full-time enrollment in B.S. of Civil and Environmental Engineering program at UNLV is required.
- A minimum of 90 credit hours of course work applicable to the B.S. of Civil and Environmental Engineering degree must be completed before beginning the joint degree program.
- An overall cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher and a cumulative GPA in math/science/engineering of 3.50 or higher are needed to begin the joint degree program.
Once a student has been admitted into the Integrated BS-MS program, they must then submit an application for an M.S. program in Civil Engineering. The student has to follow the normal application procedures found on the UNLV Graduate College website.
- Student must meet all the application deadlines.
- Student should indicate in their application materials that they are participating in the Integrated BS-MS program.
- Student should request a letter of nomination from a Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction faculty member. Submit this letter along with a short resume (no more than 2 pages) to the main office of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction. The materials will be evaluated by three faculty members in the student’s technical area of interest or nearby areas.
- Student does not need to submit GRE scores.
- Student must choose the thesis option.
Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.
Subplan 1 Requirements: Thesis Track
Total Credits Required: 30
Course Requirements
Required Course – Credits: 3
CEE 700 - Research Methods in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Elective Courses – Credits: 21
Complete 21 credits of advisor-approved elective coursework.
Thesis – Credits: 6
CEE 797 - Thesis in Civil Engineering
Degree Requirements
- Satisfactory completion of CEE 700 during the first year and 21 credits of approved graduate courses plus six credits of work associated with the master’s level thesis, for a total of 30 credits. The final examination will include a defense of thesis.
- At least 15 credits must be 700-level, of which at least 12 credits must be offered by the College of Engineering.
- The program of study for each student must be approved by the student’s advisory committee.
- Satisfactory progress is defined as filing an approved program before the completion of nine credits of course work, completion of at least six credits of the approved program per calendar year, maintenance of a GPA of 3.00 (4.00), no grades below C and compliance with the letter and spirit of the Graduate Catalog and published policies of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. Additionally, no more than nine credits below B are allowed in the student’s graduate program. If progress is not satisfactory, probation and separation may result, in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on probation and will have one semester to raise it to 3.00 or above.
- The student’s Advising Committee should be composed of at least four members of the UNLV Graduate Faculty of which at least two must be tenured or tenure-track members of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the third from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering or a related field, and the fourth will be the Graduate College Representative. The Graduate College Representative must have Full Graduate Faculty Status and cannot have Graduate Faculty Status within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
- Each student’s program should show suitable breadth and coherence, as specified in the Graduate Catalog. Prior to filing, the program must receive approval by the student’s committee. An approved program must be filed before the completion of nine credits of course work after admission (regular or provisional). The responsibility rests with the student. Students will be dropped from the graduate engineering program if they neglect this requirement.
Graduation Requirements
- The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
- The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
- Student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy thesis to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.
Subplan 2 Requirements: Non-Thesis Track
Total Credits Required: 33
Course Requirements
Required Courses – Credits: 33
Complete 33 credits of advisor-approved graduate coursework.
Degree Requirements
- Satisfactory completion of 33 credits of graduate courses approved by the student’s advisory committee, of which at least 50 percent must be 700-level offered by the College of Engineering.
- The program of study for each student must be approved by the student’s advisory committee.
- Satisfactory progress is defined as filing an approved program before the completion of nine credits of course work, completion of at least six credits of the approved program per calendar year, maintenance of a GPA of 3.00 (4.00), no grades below C and compliance with the letter and spirit of the Graduate Catalog and published policies of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. Additionally, no more than nine credits below B are allowed in the student’s graduate program. If progress is not satisfactory, probation and separation may result, in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on probation and will have one semester to raise it to 3.00 or above.
- The student’s Advising Committee should be composed of at least four members of the UNLV Graduate Faculty of which at least two must be tenured or tenure-track members of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the third from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering or a related field, and the fourth must be appointed by the Graduate College.
- Each student’s program should show suitable breadth and coherence, as specified in the Graduate Catalog. Prior to filing, the program must receive approval by the student’s committee. An approved program must be filed before the completion of nine credits of course work after admission (regular or provisional). The responsibility rests with the student. Students will be dropped from the graduate engineering program if they neglect this requirement.
Graduation Requirements
The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
Subplan 3 Requirements: Geographic Information Systems Thesis Track
Total Credits Required: 30
Course Requirements
Required Courses – Credits: 9
CEE 668 - GIS Applications in Civil Engineering
CS 733 - Geographic Data Base Systems
STA 751 - Spatial Statistics
Applied Concepts Course – Credits: 4
Complete one of the following courses:
CEE 768 - Applied Geographic Information Systems
EGG 768 - Applied Geographic Information Systems
Statistics Course – Credits: 3
Complete one of the following courses:
STA 667 - Introduction to Mathematical Statistics I
STA 691 - Statistics for Scientists I
Research Course – Credits: 3
CEE 700 - Research Methods in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Elective Courses – Credits: 5
Complete 5 credits of advisor-approved elective coursework.
Thesis – Credits: 6
CEE 797 - Thesis in Civil Engineering
Degree Requirements
- The Geographic Information Systems Thesis track requires the satisfactory completion of CEE 700 during the first year, 17 credits of required coursework, 4 credits of approved graduate courses and six credits of work associated with the master’s level thesis, for a total of 30 credits. The final examination will include a defense of thesis.
- At least 15 credits must be 700-level, of which at least 12 credits must be offered by the College of Engineering.
- The program of study for each student must be approved by the student’s advisory committee.
- Satisfactory progress is defined as filing an approved program before the completion of nine credits of course work, completion of at least six credits of the approved program per calendar year, maintenance of a GPA of 3.00 (4.00), no grades below C and compliance with the letter and spirit of the Graduate Catalog and published policies of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. Additionally, no more than nine credits below B are allowed in the student’s graduate program. If progress is not satisfactory, probation and separation may result, in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on probation and will have one semester to raise it to 3.00 or above.
- The student’s Advising Committee should be composed of at least four members of the UNLV Graduate Faculty of which at least two must be tenured or tenure-track members of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the third from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering or a related field, and the fourth will be the Graduate College Representative. The Graduate College Representative must have Full Graduate Faculty Status and cannot have Graduate Faculty Status within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
- Each student’s program should show suitable breadth and coherence, as specified in the Graduate Catalog. Prior to filing, the program must receive approval by the student’s committee. An approved program must be filed before the completion of nine credits of course work after admission (regular or provisional). The responsibility rests with the student. Students will be dropped from the graduate engineering program if they neglect this requirement.
Graduation Requirements
- The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
- The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
- Student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy thesis to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.
Subplan 4 Requirements: Geographic Information Systems Non-Thesis Track
Total Credits Required: 33
Course Requirements
Required Courses – Credits: 9
CEE 668 - GIS Applications in Civil Engineering
CS 733 - Geographic Data Base Systems
STA 751 - Spatial Statistics
Applied Concepts Course – Credits: 4
Complete one of the following courses:
CEE 768 - Applied Geographic Information Systems
EGG 768 - Applied Geographic Information Systems
Statistics Course – Credits: 3
Complete one of the following courses:
STA 667 - Introduction to Mathematical Statistics I
STA 691 - Statistics for Scientists I
Elective Courses – Credits: 17
Complete 17 credits of advisor-approved elective coursework.
Degree Requirements
- The Geographic Information Systems Non-Thesis track requires satisfactory completion of 17 credits of required coursework and 16 credits of graduate courses approved by the student’s advisory committee, of which at least 50 percent must be 700 level offered by the College of Engineering.
- The program of study for each student must be approved by the student’s advisory committee.
- Satisfactory progress is defined as filing an approved program before the completion of nine credits of course work, completion of at least six credits of the approved program per calendar year, maintenance of a GPA of 3.00 (4.00), no grades below C and compliance with the letter and spirit of the Graduate Catalog and published policies of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. Additionally, no more than nine credits below B are allowed in the student’s graduate program. If progress is not satisfactory, probation and separation may result, in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on probation and will have one semester to raise it to 3.00 or above.
- The student’s Advising Committee should be composed of at least four members of the UNLV Graduate Faculty of which at least two must be tenured or tenure-track members of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the third from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering or a related field, and the fourth must be appointed by the Graduate College.
- Each student’s program should show suitable breadth and coherence, as specified in the Graduate Catalog. Prior to filing, the program must receive approval by the student’s committee. An approved program must be filed before the completion of nine credits of course work after admission (regular or provisional). The responsibility rests with the student. Students will be dropped from the graduate engineering program if they neglect this requirement.
Graduation Requirements
The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
Subplan 5: The Integrated BS-MS Track
Total Credits Required: 24 – 30
BS Degree Requirements
- Students must meet all of the existing B.S. degree requirements for Civil Engineering at UNLV.
- Students may take up to 6 credits of approved graduate level courses in place of undergraduate courses. These classes would typically substitute for the undergraduate technical electives.
- Undergraduates taking graduate courses will pay the graduate tuition for these courses.
- Students will graduate with the BS degree as soon as all BS degree requirements are completed.
MS Degree Requirements
- Students must meet all of the other degree requirements for the M.S. degree including a minimum 15 credits of “700” level courses. If a student takes a 3-credit “700” level course as part of their undergraduate degree; it will count towards the 15 credit minimum.
- Students may be released from up to 6 credits of classes towards completion of the M.S. degree as long as their grades in these courses taken as part of the undergraduate program are a B- or better and their average G.P.A for these classes is a 3.0 or above.
- Students must take the thesis option to receive the course release.
Graduation Requirements
- The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
- The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
- Student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy thesis to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.